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Offshore Drilling is Notthe Answer

As the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico clearly demonstrates, the oil industry is still a dirty,dangerous, and deadly business. Since April 20, hundreds of thousands of gallons have dailybeen spewing into the water a mere 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana. This devastating eventhas already taken and enormous human and economic toll and will continue to cost our vibrantcoastal economies billions of dollars in the months and years to come. Not until we have amoratorium on new offshore drilling will our coastal environments and the economies thatdepend on them truly be safe.

Spills

Offshore drilling is incompatible with beaches and coastal economies. Despite claims made bythe oil and gas industry, offshore drilling is still a dirty industry. Since 1964, offshore operatorshave had 40 spills greater than 1000 barrels (42,000 gallons). During Hurricanes Katrina andRita 741,000 gallons were spilled into the waters of the Gulf from offshore rigs. That totalballoons to more than nine million gallons spilled when you include spills from onshore oil andgas infrastructure.

Far from being a thing of the past, spills occur with alarming frequency. The MineralsManagement Service estimates that in the Gulf of Mexico there will be one spill of at least 1000barrels every year for the next 40 years and one spill of at least 10,000 barrels every three to fouryears during that same time.

Clean beaches and coastal areas represent an enormous portion of the job sector. Tourism is avital part of our nation’s economy, and beaches are an essential piece. According to the WorldTourism & Travel Council, in 2009 alone the United States travel and tourism economy isexpected to directly and indirectly produce 13.8 million jobs and generate $1.35 trillion.1Thatmakes America’s coastal recreation and tourism industry the second largest employer in thenation, workers who serve the 180 million Americans who make over two billion trips to ourcoasts every year. Tourism in America is a trillion-dollar industry with coastal communitiescontributing over $700 billion annually to our economy2.

1

World Travel and Tourism Council2 Houston, James R. (2082). The Economics Value of Beaches. U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center.

Energy Costs

Offshore drilling will not reduce our energy costs. The United States has only two or threepercent of the world’s proven reserves, and the vast majority of that oil and gas is located inareas that were not even protected by the moratorium. The truth is, Americans won’t see anybenefit from new drilling. It won’t ease the pain at the pump and it won’t put food on the table.It will only help line the coffers of America’s most bloated corporate industry. The oil industrycontinues to earn record profits higher than any industry in human history, and the only resultmost Americans will see are their hard-earned tax dollars going to pay for the cleanup of oilspills and pollution left behind by the industry. The only true way to reduce energy costs isthrough efficiency and conservation.

In his latest report, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar affirmed this statement by concludingthat the greatest energy potential off our coasts was from wind energy. The report highlightedwhat we already knew, that the amount of known oil in the Outer Continental Shelf is relativelysmall. In these hard economic times we need to look toward solutions that truly reduce energycosts. Oil and gas drilling is incompatible with these goals. Clean, renewable energy is the onlyway to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, lower energy costs, create jobs, and reduce ourcontributions to climate change.

Climate Change

New off shore drilling will not reduce our dependence on foreign energy nor will it reduce ourdependence on fossil fuels. Rather, the industry and the dirty fuel it provides will only contributeto more global warming. Instead of relying on outdated forms of energy that won’t help reducecosts for Americans, we should end our dependence on dirty power now by using clean, safe,and affordable renewable energy. By harnessing the wind potential off our coasts we cantransform how we produce electricity, protect our coasts and coastal economies, and reduceglobal warming. It simply does not make sense to include more dirty drilling in any climate andclean energy legislation.

Revenue Sharing: A Perverse Incentive

Big Oil and certain pro-drilling members of Congress are pushing for revenue sharing to beincluded as part of expanded offshore drilling operations. This means that a portion of therevenue generated by lease sales would go to the nearest state. This would create a perverseincentive for states to allow drilling off their shores. Bureaucrats in offices far removed fromvibrant coastal communities and ecosystems would be incentivized to put those verycommunities at risk when it comes time to balance the budget or fill the state coffers.

No portion of revenues generated by offshore sales should go to the states. The waters arefederal waters owned by all Americans. Our beaches are used and loved by all Americans and assuch any money generated from offshore activities should be used toward public projects thatbenefit all Americans, not the few who live in coastal states abutting offshore operations.